Mangaluru Businessman Suspected Victim of Sextortion, Several Arrests Made

The Mangaluru police have intensified their investigation into the death of local businessman B.M. Mumtaz Ali, who was suspected to be a victim of sextortion. Ali, 52, was the younger brother of former Congress MLA B.A. Mohiuddin Bava. New developments in the case have led to the arrest of three additional individuals.

The individuals arrested are identified as Abdul Sattar, a sand trader named Kalandar Shafi, and Mohammed Mustafa. These arrests follow the earlier detention of Rehamatha Shuiab and her husband Shuaib. The police are currently on the lookout for Sattar’s driver, Mohammed Siraj Salam, who remains at large.

Mumtaz Ali went missing after leaving his residence in Baikampady early on the morning of October 6. Before disappearing, he reportedly sent a voice message to a family WhatsApp group, naming several individuals who had been extorting money from him, asserting that he was terminating his life as a consequence. His high-end vehicle was later found to have collided with a bus, after which it was abandoned on the Kuloor Bridge. He is believed to have jumped into the Phalguni river, where his body was discovered the following day.

Hyder Ali, the brother of the deceased, filed a complaint with the Kavoor police, accusing the suspects of blackmailing his brother and coercing him for additional payments. Allegedly, they had extracted ₹50 lakh from Mumtaz Ali, along with an additional ₹25 lakh via a cheque.